Warning: Learned the hard way about networking event timing in Edmonton

I went to a downtown Edmonton mixer last month that started at 4:30 PM on a Tuesday, thinking I'd catch people after work. By 5:15, half the room had bailed for dinner plans and I only swapped cards with like 3 people. Has anyone found a better time slot that actually keeps folks around to talk?

3 comments

3 Comments

elliot_taylor2d ago

Thursday lunch slots work way better for keeping people in the room.

mark_price2d ago

...and what you ran into is a pretty common thing I've noticed, not just at networking things. People overplan their evenings now, like every hour has to be accounted for. @john650 that organizer probably figured the 4:30 start would catch the early birds, but no one wants to sit around past 5 if they've got family stuff or gym time or a call with their mom to squeeze in. It's the same thing I see at potlucks that start at 6 and everyone's gone by 7:30 because they have to get the kids to bed. Honestly, the best time I've found for these things is a Thursday lunch slot, like 11:30 to 1. People don't feel rushed because they're already in work mode, and nobody's got dinner pulling them away.

john6503d ago

Can't believe people actually dipped that fast. That's brutal. Did the organizer even have a plan to keep people around or was it just a free-for-all?